"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
Shape of Earth: Views Differ
Two words: holy shit! In the aftermath of an airplane crash all manner of misinformation hits the news. It’s even worse if there are a lot of witnesses. You’d think it would be otherwise, but people are in general terrible witnesses, especially when they see something shocking and violent, something that happens in the blink […]
Oh lord, is it that time already? First the AARP membership, then the Social Security, now Medicare. My 65th birthday is rapidly approaching, and with it the transition from Tricare (the military’s medical insurance plan for retirees) to Medicare. Last month I applied for a Medicare card from the Social Security office. Today I drove […]
I was going to lead off with this article from Wonkette, then follow it with a satirical headline of my own: Arizona GOP Announces Emancipation Day “Slave Auction” with Prize for Best Black-Face Costume And then I read the original article, and of course the event isn’t being held “in memory of the Gabby Giffords […]
What should I find on Facebook early today but this? Ah, the smell of troll in the morning! I know, that’s some tiny print. Here’s what it says: The Republican Party have sent me their 2011 Congressional District Census. It’s a checkbox response format, thankfully with an <Other> option, since a lot of my choices […]
Just home from scouting trail for an upcoming bicycle hash. As I pedaled I listened to NPR through earbuds … well, mostly: when Will Shortz came on with his weekly Puzzler segment, I switched to the local alternative FM station, KXCI. I’ve had the urge to change stations during the Puzzler before, but this is […]
Just heard NPR Morning Edition correspondent Steve Inskeep cut Rep. Barney Frank off in mid-sentence (audio link here). Inskeep says (at 4:13 on the tape) “the biggest part of the federal budget is entitlements.” Frank says “No, wrong, I’m sorry, the defense budget is bigger than Medicare, and Social Security is in fact self-financing, and […]
Good lord, yesterday’s post was quite the whinge. I need to work on feeling less insecure, which is the same thing as saying I need a swift kick in the ass. I blame my dog. Schatzi’s still down in the dumps, and so, by extension, am I. She’s listless, slow, barely interested in things that […]
Our dachshund Schatzi has been listless and sleepy the last two days, not her normal frisky self. All bodily functions seem normal, she’s eating, her nose feels cool and wet … in short, we don’t have any idea what’s wrong with her. If only she could tell us, right? If the pup doesn’t perk up […]